Ghost in the Shell: Outcast
by Triclopes
Summary: Takes place 5 years after Stand Alone Complex. After Section 9 unearthed corrupted Political and Intelligence branches acting as proxies on behalf of the American Empire to reshape the Social and Power-Structures of Japan, now in danger of loosing an integral ally and no longer the position of a world power. They now face the threat of collapse, grasping for straws.


Prologue

November 28, 2019-Dawn of the American Empire

A family of many relatives were gathered together in a house, some kept to themselves, others conversed casually as if there was nothing to talk about, while the children, teenagers, and elderly didn't really pay mind to the overall members who're trying to bury themselves in pointless pleasantries and formalities; focused on their own imaginary worlds to either distract from what was mainly boredom or reality in general given its particular grimness.

The news was on for the 5 hours since the major announcement of immediate plans of the American Empire to further expand much of its territorial jurisdiction into the South American regions including places such as Mexico, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, just to name a few.

Of course, no one really cared about the state of the world or what potential repercussions this could have for the country, economy, or even the family itself. The American Empire was able to justify such actions continuously citing points of corrupt regimes and how poorly their people are treated along with the possibility of them holding "weapons of mass destruction."

Obviously, it would be of no surprise that some people bought all of these very same claims as the U.S., in itself had just came out of the third Great War no more than 6 years ago. With the consequences the war still impacting the very fabric of the states today.

2019, Thanksgiving, a month before Christmas and the holidays, it was officially announced that the American Empire was now going to establish the "new status quo," which was the complete domination of the Americas. Much of which would be acted upon well into next year.

In the living room, a teenager, who did not look out of place at first glance, sat in a couch that was vacant. A majority of the people who inhabited the house were currently sitting at a long-table that was set up in the dining room for those who were guest. The house itself was surprisingly roomy and only big enough to hold maybe 6 or 7 people in each of the four main rooms, with the other rooms set up in the only hallway reserved for the owners who're the cousins of the teenager in question.

They had decided to be the ones to host the family event, given that in this day and age, not many had the luxury to afford hosting a holiday dinner, whether it be due to family tragedies that had overtaken certain members, being medically unable to attend, drug addiction, crime, or just no longer having the stomach to keep up a charade of a good outlook of life, loosing optimism.

It's actually surprising that anyone was able afford the household in question, living in areas that haven't succumbed to radiation have become a costly commodity now in days. No one in the family seemed to have come from a steady or "well-paying" income. Luckily, the relative that owned the place inherited it from his father, who was a military veteran that served in World War III. Although he had lived through the conflict, he became an unfortunate victim to radiation during the destructive use of nuclear weapons during WWIII. After years of having occupied fallout territories where the warheads hit, it seemed that the consequences of radioactive poisoning had finally caught up with him.

No one ever really knew the man other than the fact he was from the military. There have been some rumors that he went crazy and killed his wife with rapidly deteriorating mental decline before he died due to the poisoning. But, of course, it was a rumor that many did not like nor cared to mention...

The Teenage boy looked blankly at the television which still had the news on it.

As he stared at the screen amidst the false-casual chatter of the inhabitants in the house, he heard the timer on the oven for the Turkey go off.

What seemed like only a second ago pass, the teenager found himself sitting at the end of the long-table eating some freshly sliced Turkey, corn, Hawaiin roles, amongst other things. Little did he seemed to have minded the blood that coated him, the dead family members throughout the house, or the fact that his own parents' corpses have seemingly been brutally dismembered.

He heard sirens approaching the house.

As it seemed Columbia City police were now driving to the house, he quickly finished his dinner and was beginning to leave. Before he could however, he heard the screaming cries of an infant in the living room. He contemplated as to whether or not it should be silenced, weighing the risk and obvious burden that would be thrusted upon his shoulders should he take it.

Then, almost immediately he soon realized what he'd done. It was almost as if he'd woken up from a trance, panic was now setting in and frantically trying to find a way as far from the authorities as possible. Despite the swell of emotions that he would soon face, they were all dulled as the adrenaline of terror was overriding his emotions.

The police cars were now pulled up at the front of the house; only seconds away from capture, the now panicking Teenager took the infant and quickly ran out the only other place of entry.

The door was kicked down by the Officers. Aside from the bodies that were a strewn throughout the house, among the men, women, children, teenagers, and elderly, no one was seen alive in the house.


End file.
